Radio-Magazines2

INTERFERENCE

ISSUE NUMBER ONE, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998. PRICE: FREE
DEADLINE NEXT ISSUE: 20th of January 1999. PRICE NEXT ISSUE: an IRC or a stamp

Test een twee, test ccn twee, whistle. pulT pud. test - yes. this is indeed a little test. For several years now Europe has been without a
regular English language pirate magazine (please correct me if I'm wrong!). There is of course Pirate Connection front Sweden, but
PC can hardly be said to be a regular magazine these days! «Intcrfercncc» is not intended to be an attack on or a substitute for Pirate
Connection or any other pirate magazine that may exist. But we felt that there was a need for a regular pirate bulletin, and a bulletin
that is not primarily based on the Internet. There are numerous Internet-based pirate bulletins around, but we re into radio, we re
not Intcmct-nerds. right? And if there is - contrary to my belief - more English language pirate zincs out there, then so what? Our

philosophy is: the more pirate zincs the better!
We need more than just one or two - for the
sake of diversity, that is.

The plans are to make tins a bi-inonddy effort,
just like in the good old days, when Pirate Chat
and Pirate Connection ruled die ground. This
first issue is the work of James Maxwell and
myself, but future issues will hopefully see the
contributions of some more people. We intend
to send this first little «tcst-magaz.inc» to a
number of known pirate freaks (and some who
arc just freaks), and we hope that at least some
of you arc interested in contributing to die next
edition. But feel free not to contribute - just
because we've sent diis zinc to you. dial
doesn't mean that we demand die total devotion
from your side. HI! This is an invitation to join
a linlc free radio efTon. and if no-one wants to
come along, it's OK. - mind you. if diis effort
comes to nothing, it just means much less work
for us. HI.

We will try to keep the production costs as low
as possible, so Interference may not look as
nifty and professional as e g. Pirate Connection
and Pirate Cliat. We'll follow die same
philosophy as The Wave (another great
magazine from the past) - die magazine as such
is free, but we must ask you. the reader, to
cover die postage costs. An IRC per issue
should dicreforc be sufficient.

The next issue will be out at the end of Jamuy
next vear. and I'm sure there will be much to
report from die Christmas season. If anyone
who wants to contribute to subsequent issues
feel that tilings in this test-zinc should be
changed, such as title, lay-out. content or
whatever - feel free to say so.

7.\ Q R. Emerson

THIS IS LNTERFERENCE MAGAZINE - A PIRATE RADIO PUBLICATION

ISSUED IN EUROPE.

WE’RE TRYING TO KEEP A BI-MONTHLY SCHEDULE.

THE (contemporary) ADDRESS IS: C/O 64 Brighton Road, Leicester, LE5 OHA,

ENGLAND.

YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT US VIA E-MAIL: qremerson@hotmail.com

INTERFERENCE#!

YOUR FAVOURITE ON SHORTWAVE

TUNE IN AND ENJOY THE
VERY BEST OF BUZZING!

THE BUZZER

24 hours a day on 4625 kHz

The buzzer has a fan club: write to 64 Brighton Road, Leicester, LE5 OHA

THE LOG

Yes. this new magazine will naturally have a log-section. But it will be different from most other log
lists seen in pirate publications in the past - and it will be different from the lists seen in e.g. SRS
News, not because they are bad or don’t have an important mission, but because an alternative is
needed. The log-section in «Interference» will be based more or less on the the concept seen in
FRMSEM - and in the now late Pirate Pages... That is, it will be a station-by-station summary of recent
activity, showing what one particular station has been up to. The emphasis will be on the programme
contents - and on general comments about the various stations. This First log-section will be very
limited, as I (Q.R. Emerson) have only been able to listen two weekends this automn (and James is too
lazy to have a little look into his log book). The main reason for this is that my current QTH is very
unsuitable for pirate listening - so the DXing has to wait till I get to my other QTH in the countryside
My antennas are hanging there, just waiting for me to return home... Sigh...

SEPTEMBER 1998

Armada 1637.9 kHz
Sat 12th, 2325 UTC . I haven't
heard this station for a long, long
lime - truly a nice surprise!
Excellent modulation on (his one.

Britain’s Better Music Station

5834 kHz

Sat 12th. 2251 UTC . Robbie Duke
with one of his listcnable
programmes. Played Jackson 5 and
the 4 Tops, among others.

Caroline 1645.7 kHz
Fn 11th. 2115 UTC . Played
«Moon light Shadow#, said hello to
Anne, dc Graaf and said he'd
absoluul nici rctour komcn. So that!
It is interesting that he msists on
calling himself «ihc Powcrslation» -
because he isn't a bit sirong.

Graaf van Luxemburg 1636 kHz
Fn 11th- 2118 UTC . Played the
most marvellous song I'd ever
heard: «Papa tnnkt beer, mama is
zicb>! The telephone kept ringing
in Lhc background, and the operator
thought that perhaps it was Derek.

Korak 3926.8 kHz
Sal 12th. 2244 UTC . The usual
format. Willem and Sandra were
boLh in the studio.

Laser Hot Hits 3930 kHz
Fn 11th. 2230 UTC . Noted.

Mario 1645 kHz

Fn 11th. 2103 UTC . Played
«Camouflagc» (our big favourite)
and said hello to Derek Taylor.

Sat 12th. 2319 UTC . Oooh, so
much feedback! Don't they ever
wear headphones and monitor their

audio, these crazy Dutch people?
Said «Gocd vor dc Bakkcn> all the
time. What is it that is so good for
the baker? They say that all the
time, these weirdos!

Monte Carlo 1640.3v

Sat 12th. 2330 UTC . QSO - cn tot

ccn volgcndc kcer!

Noordzee 1636.1 kHz
Sat 12th. 2148 UTC . «Emcly, come
back to mc!» was noted. This fine
pirate often makes some long and
listcnable broadcasts.

Radio Nordsee 3900.6 kHz
Sat 12th, 2122 UTC . Dr. Tim was
on the microphone! I'm 100% sure
-I'd recognize his voice anywhere!
Played «99 Luftbailongs». More
people in the studio as well. Party-
Stimmung!

Sallandse Boer 1645.6 kHz
Fri 11th. 2213 UTC . Report for
Studio 4.

Subterranean Sounds 3920 kHz
Fri i Ith. 2324 UTC . List of places
that pirates have broadcast from -
continued from last time (with
contributions from Harry the Cat
and a chap ui Norway). XFM
News. Nice music and interesting
spoken content.

Tom’s Music Radio 3919.5 kHz
Sat 12th. 2124 UTC . Noted. (Quite
a surprise really - was this in fact
an old tape? 1 wish I'd listened a bit
more carefully, because the signal
was excellent.)

Torpedojager 1639.6 kHz
Sat 12th. 2330 UTC . QSO.

Toulouse (B) 1638.2 kHz

Sat 12lh. 2217 UTC . Incredible - I

haven't heard Lhi$ chap for years!

UCB 1593 kHz (because UCB is a
pirate, isn't it?)

Fn 11th. 2216 UTC . Nice

folk/c&w/pop formal. It is strange,
but UCB can in fact be quite OK to
listen to.

WBCQ - The Planet 7415 kHz
Sun 13th. 0115 UTC. Yes. 1 know,
1 know! This is not a pirate, but
surely it docs have some strong
pirate connections! (Though the
nerds in the FRN «Grapcvinc»
would probably not agree...) Weak
signal here, but I could just barely
hear a chap making a speach about
pay-television. He shouted a lot and
sounded just like the religous nuts
(Bro Stair and the gang) though the
topic was slightly different. .

Zwarte Spin 1638 kHz
Sat 12th. 2247 UTC . Very poor
modulation, as usual. Laughs a lot!
(He's often called «Lachendc $pin»
- not a bad name.)

OCTOBER 1998

Barones 1636 kHz

Fri 16th. 2150 UTC . Met ecn

programma «voor Jan cn

allcman»... (Am I not clever

understanding all those Dutch

expressions?)

Benelux 7480 kHz

Sun 18th. 0830 UTC . Oldies

formal, good signal.

Blue Star 6184.2 kHz

Sat 17th. 0834 UTC . Tested a new

$

antenna.

INTERFERENCE#!

INTERFERENCE#!

Britain’s Better Music Station 51
and 48m

Sat 17th. 2258 UTC. 5834 kHz .
Gary Stevens with another highly
original and interesting programme.
Played ancient radio recordings
(from an LP called «Radio Days»).
One of the tunes played was
particularly funny: it was called «ln
1992» and went on about all those
wonderful things lliat would be
possible in 1992 (mind you, this
tune was recorded long, long ago) -
one thing that you'd be able to do
in 1992 was to get to Spain in an
hour and a half. Yep.

Sun 18th, 0820 UTC. 6198.8 kHz .
Repeat of last night's programme.

The Farmers 6284 kHz
Sun 11th. 1350 UTC . - Received
very' well on my liny Sony portable
radio with just the small telescopic
antenna! I heard a tele phone-call
from the Farmers’ fan club, i.c.
Martin from Germany...

Flux 6280 kHz

Sat 17th. 1205 UTC . Wonderful
audio! And the DJ sounded fairly
professional as well!

Oscar 6259 kHz

Sun 18th. 0800 UTC . «Ik vrag om
verbinding en luistcr met aandachtw
- i.e. «CQ» in Dutch!

Pandora 6300.5 kHz
Sun 18th. 0915 UTC . The usual
weird style of presentation and the
usual excellent selection of music.

Mentioned new' commercial
stations to come on air in the
Netherlands as well as a few oilier
radio related items. Radio Pandora
is no doubt my favourite Sunday
morning station at the moment!

Partial India Radio 6955 USB
Sat 17th, 0106 UTC . Weak signal.
Ail I could hear was a heavily
accented voice and someone
mentioning the FRN Grapevine.
Great station name, anyway!

Pelikaan 1636.1 kHz
Fn 16th. 2205 UTC . QSO.

Scottish Fishermen off channel -
1640 USB

Fn 16th, 2210 UTC , Surely they
aren't supposed to be here? (1 can
hear you say: «well, who carcs?»)

Studio 4 1637.8 kHz

Fn 16th, 2216 UTC . QSO. Played

a German jingle.

Subterranean Sounds 3945.1 kHz
Fn 16th. 2223 UTC . Usual

alternative rock «foimat». But he
also played a record by Bruce
Springsteen! 1 was amazed! Gave
Stcreolab a good plug, as so often
before. Mentioned a film lo be
shown on TV that night. Billo-
jingle at the end, as always. Nice
little programme.

Transatlantic Radio 5796.8 kHz
Sat 17ih. 2048 UTC . Oooh! So
awfully ovcrmodulatcd!

WBCQ - The Planet 7415 kHz
Sat 17th, 0000 UTC . Alan Weiner
and his girlfriend (chr, Elaine, isn't
it?) read out listeners’ letters and
played one record in one hour... He
sure is a talkative man, this Mr.
Weiner. By the way, does anyone
know what that packet radio signal
is, coming on every' now' and again
on 7415 (also heard at daytime
here)?

If you decide to send in logs
to this section (and PLEASE
DO!), then feel free not to
include every single station
or log that you have. Some
pirate listeners receive an
awful lot of stations over
two mouths, and if they were
to write down all those logs -
complete with programme
comments - and send them
off to ((Interference)), I'm
sure that would mean quite a
lot of work. So if you’ve
heard an immense lot of
stations, it is fine if you just
include those that you
consider most interesting or
worth mentioning. Or if you
have die time: include it all.
No problem.

SOME INTERESTING IDEAS I’VE HAD RECENTLY

Written by that notorious James Maxwell

Is it possible to turn on - and eventually switch off - a transmitter by means of a mobile phone?
That would be extremely useful for the pirate who is not able to broadcast at home and who
doesn’t want to stay out in a forest or whatever it may be late at night in order to do a broadcast
on, say 76m. I can hear you shouting: USE A TIME SWITCH! But - hey - this is not a good idea.
What if the frequency you’ve pre-set the transmitter to operate on is occupied when your
transmitter suddenly and without your control suddenly switches on? The alternative is of course a
mobile phone-link. Is it possible? Comments, please?

Many SW pirates these days complain about lack of listeners. Have anyone tried to grab hold of
the listeners where they can be found? 1 don't know if anyone has noticed, but a prominent Euro¬
pirate has recently started announcing his programmes 10-15 minutes in advance on 6670 kHz
(You probably all know what sort of frequency that is...). I don’t know if this is a wise thing to do
(from a security viewpoint) or if it actually attracts any listeners. Any comments?

NEWS IN BRIEF

Compiled by Q.R. Emerson

1 have, for several reasons, not been able to follow the pirate scene very closely recently, so
please do excuse me if I omit something important here. It’s probably the best if someone
who’s listening regularly takes care of this section of the magazine. Any volunteers?

Radio Amazonia

This highly original German pirate sent me a QSL for a
recent broadcast via 1RRS. The programme. I recall,
consisted of folk music, punk and revolutionary songs!
The theme-rune was a strange version of «Mr. Nilsson-
polka». a tunc which is of course well known from the
telly. The programme had previously been relaxed via
Anlcntcr Radio in North America. DJ Mr. Tequila clearly
puts his soul into his programmes - the music is highly
original, and according to himself he sometimes include
some political and similar comments. The studio is fairly
basic as he doesn't have a mixer. But as far as 1 can sec.
thaL doesn't matter at all - as long as his programmes arc
as interesting as they arc! I really hope to hear you again
soon. Mr. Tequila - you've really made me believe in free
radio again! Address: c/o SRS.

The Anarchist

Are you looking for some good schematics for a decent
shortwave or mediumawave transmitter? Well, a very
interesting design - named «The Anarchists - appeared on
the Free Radio Network (American Intcmct-silc) recently.
The man behind the design is (unless he's ripped it off a
ham-publication or something) the operator of Radio
Anarchy. The TX is capable of some 10 watts, and it's
fully transistorized. The output transistor is the IRF-510.
which is said to be common (I haven't been able to check
availability here in Europe). The design seems very nice
indeed - and the TX should be fairly easy lo build as well.
There are two different versions - one for SW and one for
MW. I may ask the people at FRN for permission to print
the design in a future edition of Interference - if anyone of
you out there is interested!

Source: FRN (www.fnt.net)

Radio Argus

This widely known London-based pirate seems lo be fairly
active at Lite moment with all sons of interesting tests. A
number of frequencies have been tried out - apart from the
regular 1125 kHz spot. 1566, 1650 and many other
channels have been tried as well. They have apparently
also tried out longwave, something which is quite
amazing. They' plan lo settle down on 270 kHz. (Radio
Dclrnarc from The Netherlands has also tried LW recently,
it seems.) The transmitter (or perhaps railicr transmitters)
appear to be transistorized QRP (well, almost) rigs,
something which I believe is quite unusual for
rncdi urn wa vc-stations.

Source: Radio Argus/DPRS

Britain's Better Music Station and O/.onc
This (these) excellent British broadcastcr(s) had in mid-
November almost settled down both in frequencies and
times. And the schedule is: Sunday morning from 0800
UTC on 6198 or 6208 and Sunday evening from 1600
UTC on 5794v. They also have plans for 41m. which
sounds like a very good idea indeed.

Source: SRS News

DPRS update

Derek has just issued a new edition of his excellent list of
currently active Dutch mediumwavc-pirates. An important
change will take place in the next edition: The December
list and all future editions will contain no post box
addresses of pirates. The reason for this is that some
Dutch pirates have received some rather strange reports
recently - reports without proper programme-details, and
some of them even obvious cases of prank. Some pirates
have accidentally sent out QSLs for such false or dubious
reports. So now people will have to actually listen to the
pirates to get their address. The lisl costs £1, SI or 2
IRCs. - Or a few large while stickers! (A little inside joke
there...) Address: 12 Dorman Road. Preston. PR2 6AS.
ENGLAND. Another piece of information in relation to the
Dutch pirates: Some of the stations that make international
broadcasts (Baro etc.) now require minimum 20 minutes
of programme details for a report to be verified. Some of
the QSO-stations require tape recordings!

Sources: DPRS and Banscan

The Farmers

have been visited by the authorities on numerous
occasions recently. In July (I think) they relumed lo the
airwaves just a few hours after such a visit. And on
Sunday the 6lh of September they' were visited once again.
This time they were forced to destroy the transmitter under
the supervision of the police and people from the Dutch
PTT. But just two hours later they were back on air with
the same equipment! So it didn't take them long to ilirow
the TX together again! A DXcr noted tins rather funny
comment from the Farmers: «Wc arc back on the air after
the PTT vjsil - this is not a problem at the moment!» Well,
what then would be a problem for these mad people? The
Farmers arc on air every Sunday with a IkW transmitter
(though they arc capable of putting out some 10kW!).

Source: SRS News #37 and 39

Giovanni Bcllabarba

is the name of an Italian DXcr who keeps sending prank
reception reports to all sorts of stations, including pirates.
If you’ve got access to the Internet, you can read

pA6]E 4

INTERFERENCE#!

INTERFERENCE#!

everything about ihc ease there. Mr. Beilabarba has made
the pirate DX community very angry indeed. Even a pirate
station has been set up solely to promote the extinction of
poor Giovanni (KGB Radio - Kill Giovanni Beilabarba
Radio!).

Sources: SRS News and Martin Schoch's home-page on

the Internet

Hmmm. well who cares if this screwed individual sends
out fake reports? Surely this is something which only
matters to you screwed DXers out there (yes. you're all
equally screwed!). If some stations accidentally send out
QSLs to people who haven't really heard them, then why
should that bother yew? I really can't see the point in
spending time and efforts making inquiries and even web¬
pages (!) about this silly subject. Whether a report is prank
or genuine doesn't really matter, does it? What really
matters is a real audience - people who don't just send a
silly QSL request, but valuable programme feedback.
What’s in this silly QSL business to you? You’re mad!
(But don't worn*: I've got nothing againsl mad people!
HI.)

Q R. Emerson

Radio Gunsmokc

has started announcing a special code during his
broadcasts. The listeners have to include this code in their
repons if they wish to get a QSL. Mr. Gunsmoke is tired
of no-detail and even fake repons. See more comments
under «DPR$» and «Giovanni Beilabarba))... Gunsmoke's
address is do DPRS.

Source: SRS News

International Music Radio

This Swiss station has been very active recently using
different frequencies on 70, 51, 48 and 41m. 1MR is one
of those very few stations that don't just transmit on those
«fixcd» pirate slots - i.c. Saturday night and Sunday
morning. Cheek 5815 USB around 1900 UTC on any day
of the week. IMRs programmes arc always nice to listen
to. I appreciate DJ Yves' «chaotic» and spontaneous style.

Source: SRS News

Offshore stuff

A strange email-message was received via SRS News
recently. Apparently, there were plans to set up a special
event offshore-station in mid-October to reminisce the
famous Radio Mcrcur that used to broadcast off the
Danish coast in the late 50ics. The broadcasts were to take
place from a ship in the North Sea on such frequencies as
279. 1566 and 6210 kHz. No-one heard it. however. I
assume that it was just a little anorakish joke?

Source; SRS News

Radio Pandora

Steve St.John says that hts TX site keeps flooding over
during heavy rainfalls. The soggy ground may' be one
reason why he is heard so well across Europe, he suggests.

Pirate Connection will be back. True!

Stefan announced the next edition to be published in
September. But that's quite a while ago. And I haven't
received anything so far... But I sure look forward to
receiving it - it's alw ays a great read. If you haven't seen a
copy of this great zinc, send for a sample copy - which
costs 4 IRCs. The address is P.O.Box 4580. 203 20
Malm6. SWEDEN

SWRS - Short Wave Relay Service
This station (presumably broadcasting from southern
Europe??) arc pioneering the pirate scene with their highly
innovative use of frequencies. The schedule, as announced
in their entail-message of 15th of October, is the
following: Every 1st weekend of the month on 11470 and
21450 kHz from site B and every' 3rd weekend of the
month on 6195/6280 (or 21450), *7590 and 11470 kHz
from site A. All frequencies USB, I believe. The times
seem to be approximately 0600-1200 UTC on Saturdays
and Sundays. Other times arc possible as well. Address:
Wuppertal drop. STOP PRESS: By mid-November
they've also introduced a service on 76m. And they also
seem to have a site C. Site C is located in Central Europe,
but is only used occasionally.

Source: SWRS

US shortwave pirates raided

Ln a press release (to be found on their web-site) dated the
9th of November, the FCC made public the closure of four
shortwave pirate stations - all active on 6955 kHz. The
stations were located in Tew-ksbury (MA), Glendale
Heights (Illinois). Kaly (Texas) and Sierra Madre (CA).

Source: FCC web site

US Pirate Activity

Because of the raids mentioned, 6955 has been very' quiet
lately. An American DXcr, writing in SRS News, even
urged European pirates to transmit on 6955 to give the
American listeners at least something to listen to...

There have been speculations in the FRN
Grapevine and also in SRS News that the FCC together
with Canadian authorities arc planning a major offensive
against the SW-pirates in the two countries. Rumours have
it that the FCC and their Canadian counterparts will
monitor 6955 kHz over some months and then suddenly
raid all the stations simultaneously. Whether or not there
is anything in these rumours, one thing is for sure: The
American pirates will keep a very low profile in months to
come.

Sources: SRS News and various postings on the FRN site

IS THERE ANYONE YOU RECKON SHOULD RECEIVE THIS MAGAZINE? SEND US
HIS OR HER NAME AND ADDRESS AND WE’LL SEND A SAMPLE COPY TO THAT

PERSON.

THE ADDRESS IS

C/O 64 Brighton Road, Leicester, LE5 0HA, ENGLAND.

AND THE EMAIL-ADDRESS LOOKS LIKE THIS:
qremerson@hotmail.com

PIRATE OPERATIONS ON SHORTWAVE - THE
MANY ERRORS THAT YOU CAN MAKE

James Maxwell shares with the readers some of his experiences
during a year or so of (occasional) broadcasting

INTRODUCTION

Many of you will probably already be pirate operators, and
the following article is probably of little use to you. It is
intended for people who would like to set up their own
station, but who don't know if they have all the needed
knowledge. Nevertheless, many of you experienced pirates
out there will probably find some of the content of interest
(and honestly: quite a few pirates have a lot to lcam -
judging from all the crap sounding signals heard on the
pirate bands!).

Lei me point out right from the start that ( am by-
no means an expen in this field. I'm not going to tell you
how to build a transmitter (because 1 know very little
about that), nor am I going to give you a lecture about
other highly technical issues, such as how to build
extremely advanced antennas etc... Read some in-depth
book about radio electronics before setting up your
SLation!

Let’s assume that you already have a transmitter
and the technical knowledge to put a transmitter on air.
The question is: How do you get across on the radio with
your programming? How should the programme be
recordcd'. , What kmd of studio equipment do you need?
What sons of audio processing gear is needed? How do
you modulate your transmitter so that it sounds decent? I
will also include some general comments about locations,
antennae, and a few other practical issues.

THE AUDIO BIT

What should a decent pirate studio consist of? Clearly the
most important component of a good studio is the mixer.
The mixer doesn't have to be at all advanced and the many
features offered on some of the disco-mixers on the
marked arc of course not necessary. Gel y ourself a simple
- and cheap one! Three channels (i.e. three faders) should
be sufficient, although even more is to be preferred.

Other important features of a pirate studio
include: a microphone (if you're a hi-fi freak, get an
extremely expensive one, if you're just a pirate enthusiast
who wants to get his message across on shortwave, buy
the cheapest one you can get!) and at least nvo sources of
music (c.g. two CD-play ers) - don't try io get by with just
one. It'd be loo awkward.

There is a lot of things that could be said about
the building of a studio, but I shall not do that here.
Howev er, one little piece of advice is: get to «kno\v» the
studio before you record the first programme, li is
necessary to have the right feeling with ihc equipment. I
never trained much before recording my first programme,
and. ehr, it turned out no good.

If you want to do live broadcasts, you must
make sure that all your audio equipment can handle a bit
of RF. My mixer doesn’t like RF at all - no matter how
low the power, all I get is an awful howling RF feedback.

• Let's assume that you prcfcrc to make your
programmes on tape - that's the only thing I've tried so far
and thus the only possibility that I can comment on! Now,
the question is: How do you transfer the output from your
audio mixer to a tape? First of all, you do of course need a
good cassette recorder. Don't be afraid to spend a bit of
money on this piece of equipment, because it’s probabv
one of the most critical components in the audio path. 1
use a proper cassette deck from Denon which works quite
nicely.

Next, I would recommend Lhc use of a
compressor between the mixer and the cassette reorder A
compressor docs, basically, two things: It amplifies low-
level parts and attenuate high level parts - thus giving a
more steady stream of audio. This will improve the
modulation level of your AM signal - you will sound much
louder, and low level sections ofyour programme won't be
lost in tape hiss and atmospheric crashes! The use of a
compressor also makes ihe DJ's voice more powerful and
professional-sounding. True! How much compression do
you need, then? Most of the experts say that a 2:1 ratio is
good. But I don't know what that means! My compressor
is a bit strange, it doesn't compress at a steady rate all the
time, and I therefore cannot know if it's any near to 2:1...
The compression of my compressor depends on the audio
level which the compressor is fed with. I usually compress
my programme at such a rate that it is clearly audible (but
don't use so high compression that it sounds like the
«clipping» used by some radio hams!). Many audio mixers
have built-in 2:1 compressor units. I haven't checked out
any of these. They’re probably OK.

The next piece of audio processing equipment
that you need is an equalizer. You will soon discover, if
you monitor your modulated AM signal, that the audio
sounds «dark» and muffled compared to the legal
broadcasters. In most eases a slight boost in treble is
needed io make the audio clearer. But don't boost the
treble too much, and don't boost the highest audio
frequencies. The highest audio frcqcncics won't be audible
anyway on your AM carrier, no matter how much you
boost them. However, they will be audible virtually
anywhere else on the band - this phenomenon is known as
splatter, and the worst thing that a pirate can do is to cause
splatter. You probably won't do much harm to legal
services, but fellow pirates (on a crowded 48 meter band,
for example) wall suffer quite a lot. I think perhaps that the
splatter caused by the notorious Farmers is due to too
much treble, but 1 am not sure. - So. which audio

’ pAGb T

PA6L (o

INTERFERENCE#!

INTERFERENCE#!

frequencies do need a boost? I usually boost a narrow
band of frequencies around 6 kHz. which seems to work
quite fine.

You can learn quite a bit about AM modulation
and how to make it sound right by operating \our
transmitter on a dummy load and monuonng your signal
while try ing out various equalizer-settings and rates of
compression. If possible, it is always rccommcndable to
listen on several receivers, as the audio output of many
recovers can be quite different. You should spend a loi of
lime testing on a dummy load and get to know the
transmitter before you attach an antenna!

OK. so now you’ve recorded the programme,
and the content of the tape - i.c. already processed audio -
can quite easily be used to modulate the transmitter with. I
use a ham transceiver, and the audio is simply fed into the
microphone socket. If your TX site isn’t your home, and
especially if you broascast from a very remote site, you
need a small and handy cassette player. A walkman type of
player will do nicely. Be extremely cautious as to what
kind of cassette player you use, because this is another
very critical link in the audio path. Some cassette players
sound very bad! For more than a year I used one that gave
loo much treble and that - it seemed - attenuated the bass.
The result was not so good. But I have now invested in a
neat little Walkman. Walkmans tend to have extremely
good audio quality'. - And they' also tend to be RF proof,
so you don’t have to worry about nasty' RF feedback.
When talking about feedback, one extremely important
advice is that you use a shielded audio cable between the
cassette player and the TX. Also remember that the
«scrccn» (i.c. the outer lead) of the cable should be
connected to the negative pole of both the microphone
input of the TX and of the output socket of the cassette
player. If you make any error here, the result will almost
certainly be: SQuccling RF feedback!

One little device that I only recently have
brought into use, but that is no doubt very important, is
the audio limiter The limner resembles the compressor,
but it is used for a totally different purpose. Whilst the
compressor is used to make the audio louder and steadier,
the limiter is used to keep the audio under a certain pre-set
level. That is, if the audio exceeds that level, it is
automatically reduced to the pre-set maximum level. This
is extremely important when modulating a radio signal,
whether it is FM, AM or SSB. It is necessary to keep the
audio level tuidcr a certain level, because otherwise the
signal will be overmodulated. Ovcrmodulatcd signals
(often heard in the Dutch MW pirate band...) do not sound
at all good, and they may also cause splatter and
interference on adjacent frequencies. So it is at all cost
necessary to avoid ovcrmodulalion!

If you don’t use a limiter, you must make sure
lhat the audio level into the transmitter is reassuringly
below the ovcrmodulalion level, so lhat the signal isn’t
ovcrmodulatcd whenever there’s a loud sound. In other
words: the setting of the modulation on your transmitter
must be so low lhat even the loudest parts of the
programme don’t cause ovcrmodulalion!

All this is very awkward, the most convenient
wav to get by is lo use a limiter. A limiter can naturally be
used while recording the programme, i.c. it can be
installed in the audio path between the mixer and the tape
deck. But I haven’t yet come across any low cost limiter.

nor have 1 seen any construction plans on how to make
one. However, most modem-type Walkmans have a built-
in audio limiting system (AVLS), so by using this function
on your Walkman you can quite effectively limit the audio
while modulating the transmitter So the conclusion is:
get a good walkman!

A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE
SET-UP AT THE TX SITE

I shall not go into great detail about every' possible way of
doing the actual broadcasting. I have, as I said, just made
taped programmes so far. and most of them have been
transmit from remote locations. If you’re thinking of doing
the same. i.c. broadcast from outside, c.g. from a forest,
then here arc a few advices:

It is easy enough to broadcast from remote sites
if you have access to a car. but if you. as I. don’t have a
driver's license for simply can’i afford a carl), it docs
become a bit more awkward. I have to walk - or cycle -
some four or five kilometres lo get to my TX site. (I prefer
walking rather than cy cling, because it's mostly uphill, and
I’m in a terrible physical shape. I'm afraid. Having to drag
a bicyblc with me makes the trip so much more awftif\)
One thing which is of utmost importance under such
circumstances is not to use too heavy equipment. A small
«grcnadc»-iypc of transmitter is ideal of course, but even a
ham transceiver is fairly easy to cany along over some
distance. Valve-type of transmitters with huge
transformers etc. arc probably not ideal! The most
awkward piece of gear to drag along is the battery. You
will need a relatively small accumulator (20-25 Ah is
probably the very limit), and it must be <«maintcnancc-
frcc», i.c. it must be 100% sealed and tight. - You don't
want acid spills in vour rucksack, do you? Maintenance-
free accumulators arc expensive , but necessary!

Yes, I load all the equipment into a huge
rucksack - it is important to use one that is designed for
long foot-jounicys. i.e. one which is designed so that the
content feels a lot lighter than it actually is! Mind you. my
accumulator weighs 8 kg. and how it is carried is of great
importance - the battery must of course be in the bottom
of the rucksack - and it should be as low as possible
relative to your body!

Before you go lo do the broadcast, make sure
that you have loaded all necessary equipment into the
rucksack. It is very easy to forget, say, a small lead - and
all leads arc extremely important of course! Make a list of
the things you need at the site and make sure you’ve got it
all before you go.

If your back can handle it. it is always wise to
bring something to cat and drink. A nice thermos of hot
water, some tea-bags and a cup are highly
recommended!

IS IT POSSIBLE TO
BROADCAST FROM A FOREST
IF IT RAINS?

Oh y es. no doubt. It only depends on your enthusiasm and
stubbornness. Bring some huge plastic bags to cover the
equipment with - and wear a rain-coat.

WHAT ABOUT THE
ANTENNA?

I know I said 1 wasn't going lo give a lecture about
antennas, but a few things need lo be said. The simplest,
yet one of the most effective, antennae lhat you can make,
is the dipole. Many pirates use just a random piece of wire
and an antenna tuner, but this is not good enough! Most
of these stations put out lousy signals. OK, you may be
able to receive quite well on such an antenna, but it is not
suitable for broadcasting! The stations that use random
wires think they have such an extremely efficient antenna
system since the SWR is 1:1, but this is of course not the
ease. So Ladies and Gentlemen: stick to the dipole. (If
you're smart and knowledgeable enough, there arc lots of
other interesting possibilities about, but I shall not
mention these here! Read a book about Hh antennas.)

So, you’ve made a dipole - is an antenna tuner
necessary ? If vou use a valvc-lvpc of transmitter, you can
get by very well without a tuner, 1 believe. If you use a
home-brew transistorized rig, then a tuner isn l necessary.

I guess, but you must make
sure lhat the SWR doesn't
get too high - BE KIND TO
THE OUTPUT

TRANSISTORS! If you use
a ham rig, then a tuner is
recommended. There is
usually no risk of blowing
the PA transistors when
using a dipole antenna cut for
the band you’re transmitting
on - BUT: Many transceivers
have a built-in heat-resistor
lhat automatically reduces
the output power when the
SWR gets loo high My
transceiver starts reducing
the power even if the SWR is
just slightly deviant from 1:1.

A tuner is therefore needed
to get the maximum output
out of the TX.

I had some problems with this the first couple of
months I was active. 1 did use a tuner, but the meter on the
tuner showed slightly wrong readings, so that when the
meter showed SWR 1:1, die SWR was in fact 1:2! .And the
output power was therefore reduced to about one forth of
the possible power! I didn't realize this before 1 borrowed
a tuner of a friend of mine (the notorious Big Viking!). So
if you use a ham transceiver - make sure that the SWR is
very close to 1:1!

HOW DO YOU MODULATE
THE AM SIGNAL OF YOUR
AMATEUR RADIO
TRANSCEIVER?

This is quite simple: First, attach the audio source to the
microphone input of the rig. Then turn on the transceiver -
preferably by means of the PTT button. Then set the
power of the AM carrier to one fourth of the maximum
available power for SSB. My transceiver gives 100 watts

in SSB, the AM power should thus be 25 watts. Turn on
the cassette player, and adjust the microphone gain (i.c.
the audio level on the TX) untill you notice a slight
deflection of the needle of the transceiver’s built-in power
meter. Listen to yourself on a cheap (but decent) radio -
and increase the microphone level till the audio becomes
distorted. Then turn mic-gain down again - till the audio
sounds clear. If you don’t use a limiter, it is necessary to
reduce the mic gain even a bit more.

The audio from the cassette player should be at a
low level. That is, don’t use high level «linc-oul» sockets -
but use ihc headphone socket and reduce the output to a
low level. All this should of course be done before you set
the mic-gain on the transceiver.

HOW TO FIND A SITE

I shall not tell you about all possible and impossible sites
that have been or may be used for pirate broadcasting, but
1 do have some comments based on owti experience.

1 ) BROADCASTS FROM A FOREST. There
arc at least three criteria that you have to bear in mind

when searching for a site in a
forest: First, it must be
relatively easy to get Lhcrc
(my site doesn’t quite satisfy
that criterion, I’m afraid).
Second, it must be possible to
hang up an antenna Lhcrc.
Two tall trees within a certain
distance from each other must
be found, prcfcrrably two firs
with branches almost down to
the ground, because these are
easy to climb (I’m no good at
throwing, so 1 have lo climb,
something which I am quite
good at, if I must say it
myself). It must be possible
to hang up a dipole antenna
between these trees, and the
antenna should (preferably)
touch NO OTHER TREES.
The third criterion is also important: There must not be
many nosy people around. If you, like most of ihosc
dreadfully conservative shortwave pirates, decide to
broadcast on a Sunday morning / afternoon, you should
remember that this isn t just the time of the week most
prefered for pirate radio activity, it is also the very slot
when people go for a stroll in their local forest!

It is very difficult to find a site which satisfies
all these demands. You should be prepared to spend a lot
of time searching for a good QTH.

2) BROADCASTS FROM AT HOME. Such
broadcasts arc not adviced at daytime in countries where
the authorities are likely lo try to trace your signal (c.g.
Germany). Another thing you should remember is the
possibility of RF interference on your neighbour s TV scl.
hi-fi-system etc. I had an unpleasant experience Lhis
summer, when l was home at my parents place - and this
was during the World Football Championship in France.
Yes. I actually ruined - without knowing it of course - my
neighbours’ reception of a great lot of those chr.
important games. And the father in Lhis particular family is
a football fanatic, and, chr, he became rather furious - and

DO YOU THINK THAT THERE
ARE TOO FEW ILLUSTRATIONS
IN THIS MAGAZINE? THAT
THERE’S TOO MUCH TEXT?
WELL, 1 SUPPOSE YOU’RE
RIGHT. I’LL TRY TO FIND
SOMEONE WHO HAS A
SCANNER. HOPEFULLY
FUTURE ISSUES WILL SE SOME
MORE PICTURES AND
ILLUSTRATIONS.

Q. R. Emerson_

INTERFERENCE#!

INTERFERENCE#!

NOW IT IS TIME TO MOVE UPWARDS

Written by James Maxwell

he soon discovered that I was the guilly one... Luckily,
Radio Maxwell - ihc broadcast station - was not the
reason, so he hadn't heard Bob Dylan or REM on his telly.
However. Pm also a bit active in the 11 meter band - using
high power on SSB. And these higher SW frequencies arc
a lot more likely to cause TVI than, say. a signal on 76 or
48m. So even though you've been broadcasting quite
happily for years from your home - on conventional pirate
bands such as 3 9. 6.2 and 7.4 MHz - don't feel safe if you
move upwards in frequency (taking advantage of the
raising sunspot number) - you might get an unpleasant
surprise from one of your neighbours!

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Let me remind you that this liltc article is not intended as a
complete Do-It-Yourself manual to pirate radio. It is just a
little selection of my own experiences, errors and

discoveries after a year or so on the air. If you seriously
consider starting your own little pirate-station (something
which you really should - GO AHEAD!) - you need to
acquire a bit of knowledge about radio electronics,
antennae, audio technique etc. You also need to be a
knowledgeable pirate listener - you need to know when to
broascast and on which frequencies! 1 wouldn't advice a
complete beginner to set up a station (Oh. listen to that
mean old man!).

It is highly recommended that you get yourself
an AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE - yes - I know that this
may sound offensive to some of you. but most of the
knowledge required for radio hams (except the morse
stuff) is very- relevant for the pirate. Of course, you don't
have to actually take the lest, but make sure that you Icam
(at least partially) the ham radio curriculum!

OK. have fun!

A few years ago, at the height of his career as
a pirate radio know-it-all, the Pirate Chat
editor spent much time and efforts trying to
persuade the pirates to move to 3 MHz, since the
domestic coverage on 6 MHz was so poor. This was
at the very bottom of the sunspot cycle, and no
doubt - the PC oracle was right! During periods of
low sunspot number the signals on 6 MHz tend to
travel far, and a pirate wanting to serve a domestic
audience should try a lower frequency.

Now things are different. The sunspot
number is on its way up. and it is in fact already
quite high. Both the flux and the sunspot number
tend to be around or over 100 these days, and surely
that must be acceptable. The consequences of a
rising sunspot number are many One is that 6 MHz
(and perhaps even 7 MHz at times) becomes usable
for short-range (day-time) broadcasting again So if
you still haven’t followed Mr. PC’s advice and
moved to 3.9 MHz, then don’t worry. You can
safely stay on 6 MHz! HI.

.Another consequence of a raising sunspot-
number is that the higher portions of the shortwave
spectrum becomes usable for truly world-wide
transmission. This is a possibility which is rarely
exploited by the pirates. One recent exception is the
Short Wave Realy Service that has tested out 21
MHz, and as far as I’ve heard, they’ve made it very
well across to the Americas in the afternoon hours.

There are at least four bands that an
innovative pirate should consider trying out. These
are 13, 15. 21 and 25/26 MHz. In the following few
paragraphs I will make a few comments about the
three bands mentioned.

13 MHz

SWRS have been pioneering this band as well.

13960 has been tried. This band is used by various
maritime services. Does anyone know which
frequencies are «safe»? (Does anyone have a
Klingenfup?) I know very little about this band. And
I very rarely monitor the hams on 20m, so I don t
know how the propagation is. But 20m is often
considered as the DX band...

15 MHz

How do you find a clear frequency on this band?
Seems difficult. But not impossible?

21 MHz

This band is extremely suitable for long distance
broadcasts. If you monitor the 15 meter ham band
(21000-21450 kHz), you will often hear some very

fine DX. Stations from across the Atlantic can be
extremely strong (even on low power) in the
afternoon and evening hours. There are also two
interesting low-powered broadcast stations on 21
MHz that serve very well as indicators on how good
the conditions are - these are HCJB from Ecuador
on 21455 USB (using a kW) and RFPI from Costa
Rica. I’m not sure which frequency the latter station
uses right now. They tend to jump a lot... It
shouldn’t be a problem to find a clear frequency on
this band - it seems to be half empty at any time of
the day. The BC band is between 21450 and 21850,
and I’ve never noted any utility-rubbish on these
frequencies (I think). SWRS has, as I mentioned,
tried this band, but I’m not sure if their choice of
frequency was the very best: 21450 kHz is on the
very border to the ham band, and unless you want a
huge ham-audience, this frequency should probably
be avoided.

25 and 26 MHz

Most DXers know that there is a broadcast band
just about here, but they rarely check it - simply
because there are NO BROADCASTERS TO BE
HEARD! The entire BC band between 25670 and
26100 is empty! (Except for the odd Italian
powerhouse CBer...) This band should be very
suitable for broadcasts within Europe during the
summer (taking advantage of the e-skip) and for
world-wide broadcasting in the winter. Of course
you’ll have to listen before you go on air to see if
the band really propagates - good indicators would
be the ham bands of 12 and 10 metres (i.e. 24890-
24990 and 28000-29700 kHz). A third (and
probably the best) indicator is naturally the well-
known triple five on 27 MHz... Reports from the
US say that pirate activity has taken place on 26
MHz over there recently - why don’t the Euros
follow this example?

If you decide to use this band, you should
stay within the broadcast band mentioned, and it’s
pobably a good idea to stick to frequencies below
26000 - the reason for this is that the frequencies
between 26000 and 28000 are widely used by illegal
SSB (CB) stations. The radios used by these
operators tend to cover the range from 26000 and
up Of course, if you want a large audience, it might
be a good idea to broadcast above 26000, but on the
other hand you’re very likely to suffer from severe
QRM by all those nuts.

I really can’t see why 25 MHz isn’t more
widely used by pirate broadcasters. This band has
two advantages: you can easily get a cheap

HALF THE FUN

Written by Q.R. Emerson

In a recent Media Network programme Diana Janssen was talking about pirate radio, and she warned everyone
that pirate radio is strictly illegal, and that the authorities may track you down with their highly sofisticated
direction finding equipment. However, she noted, many of the pirate ops that she and Jonathan had been speaking
to. thought of the cat-and-mouse-chase with the authorities as half the ftin with pirate radio. Well, I guess there’s
something right about that. I guess some prate ops are into this crazy hobby because of the exitement. So that’s
why Interference will take a closer look at this side of the hobby - the cat-and-mouse bit.

Very few pirate operators know much about what the authorities do - and what they are capable of doing - to
trace down illegal shortwave signals. As a listener I haven’t got a clue! Do the telecommunications authorities in
the various countries actually monitor the bands (just imagine - a DTI officer could be listening to your show!) -
or do they mainly take action as a result of complaints? How is the DF (Direction Finding) bit actually performed?
Surely there must be towers placed on various spots across the country to gauge the approximate direction of the
illegal signals. What sons of antennas and other equipment do these stations have? Where are the stations
located? How precise readings can such «remote» direction finding measures produce? What other purposes dp
these monitoring stations have? To find the exact location of a pirate, mobile DF equipment must be brought into
use - what sort of equipment is used at this stage 0 Do the DF people always find the station they’re lookong for?
Is there any cooperation between the frequency management bodies of the various countries 0 - Well surely there
must be - the question should be. How does this cooperation work?

It would be interesting if you the reader could do some resarch about the procedures used by the
telecommunications authorities in your country (be it inside or outside Europe). Do they monitor the bands 9
Where are the the DF stations located? Is there a highly decentralized network of DF-units spread scross the
country ready to trace down a pirate in no-time?

Is it just me or is this in fact interesting ? I tend to think of these questions as awfully fascinating!

More questions: In a recent posting on the FRN Grapevine (Internet-site), Dr. DX said that it was easier to trace
a signal that’s vertically polarized than one which is horizontal. I guess this makes sense since the groundwave
coverage of a vertical antenna by far exceeds that of a horizonial antenna. Is this something that the pirates take
into consideration 7 When considering the coverage of the groundwave - is it then perhaps safer to operate on the
higher frequencies - such as 15 or 21 MHz?

.All sorts of comments wanted.

P AGs

Page Ad

INTERFERENCE#!

transceiver for (his band (i.e. one that covers 26000
or so and up, but many of these rigs can be modified
- by changing an 1C - to work below 26 MHz as
well) and the antennas demanded are very small.

OK, so you haven’t got enough space to be a 48 or
76 meter band operator - well why don't you try 25
MHz' 7 A vertical CB antenna should work superbly,
and a little dipole should also be fine. Perhaps a
horizontal antenna, e g. a dipole, is the best, as you
won’t get as far on the groundwave - and you thus
reduce the risk of being caught! But then again
you’ll skip much farther on a vertical antenna.
Hmmm. Setting up a station on 25 MHz should be
easy and cheap. Imagine - anyone with a little
President Jackson and a CB antenna can run a world
wide broadcaster!

One little reminder: Operations on 1 lm
tend to cause TVl on neighbours’ TV-sets. You’re
warned!

Finally one suggestion: You listeners out there
should support the pirates not just by listening to
them, but also by listening for blank spaces on the
dial Many pirates don’t have the time to monitor
the bands on a regular basis, and I guess this can be
one of the reasons why 6 MHz is so widely used. -
The pirates simply don’t know where else to
broadcast. Interference hereby takes the initiative to
launch a bi-monthly list of « INTERESTING
FREQUENCIES (AND TIMES) THAT SHOULD
BE TRIED OUT». Contributions wanted!
(Contributions from outside Europe are of great
interest!)

OK, that’s just about it for this time!

I would strongly urge YOU to send us news and information concerning illegal.radio. All sorts of

contributions are wanted.

Here are some of my ideas of what sort of information «Interference» COULD print in the future
(but in order to make that possible, SOMEBODY has to WRITE die articles and columns

mentioned):

- A review of the illegal packet radio networks on 45 and 11 metres

- News from the Dutch mediumwave pirate scene

- Lists of interesting frequencies where illegal and covert transmissions (other than

broadcasts) take place (activity outside Europe especially interesrmgi)

- Comic strips. Are you good at drawing? Send us your work!

- Technical tips and articles

- Readers’ letters (for discussions and exchange of information between the DXers)

- News from the FM pirate scene (UK and elsewhere)

- News about American pirate radio (shortwave and «micro-radio»)

- Utility-transmissions in the Free Radio bands. Which frequencies are best avoided?

. r Articles about particular stations

- Pirates tend to play a lot of music. Perhaps someone could write a column about the

music featured on the pirates?

-1 read an interesting article on the Internet recently about some people in Dallas who use
C'B radio as a form of performance art (!). Does anyone have anything interesting to say
about «alternative» use of radio transmitters?

- What about pirate TV - is anyone into that?

- Historical articles. What’s the history behind the Dutch «middengolf»-scene? (It has
apparently existed since the 1920ies!) Does anyone remeber the first years of pirate activity
on 48m (the early 70ies, I believe)? What was it like? Wbat about shortwave piracy before
that? (1 read an interesting article recently about a Swedish pirate that was active in the 80

meter ham band in the early 50ies - to the great annoyance of the hams and to the great

delight of the listeners...)

Of course, these are just some of MY ideas - feel free to write about whatever you like! It doesn’t
have to be a long, well-written article - a few lines in form of a short notice is also appreciated! So

WRITE! And send the lot to
64 Brighton Road, Leicester, LE5 OH A, ENGLAND

or

qremerson@hotmail.com

PA6)E 4 7 — IM TURFE^E-MC £ A IMS PRlMTEb OU

IHe <A !\j<?Y&M£iae /ff?(